"Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world. In our endeavor to understand reality we are somewhat like a man trying to understand the mechanism of a closed watch. He sees the face and the moving hands, even hears its ticking, but he has no way of opening the case. If he is ingenious he may form some picture of a mechanism which could be responsible for all the things he observes, but he may never be quite sure his picture is the only one which could explain his observations. He will never be able to compare his picture with the real mechanism and he cannot even imagine the possibility or the meaning of such a comparison. But he certainly believes that, as his knowledge increases, his picture of reality will become simpler and simpler and will explain a wider and wider range of his sensuous impressions. He may also believe in the existence of the ideal limit of knowledge and that it is approached by the human mind. He may call this ideal limit the objective truth."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
The Evolution of Physics (1938) (co-written with Leopold Infeld)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Albert Einstein
1879 – 1955
deutsch-schweizerischer Physiker und Nobelpreisträger
614 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Albert Einstein →
Related Quotes
"Clarity about the aims and problems of socialism is of greatest significance in our age of transition. Since, under p…"
"It is an irony of fate that myself have been the recipient of excessive admiration and reverence from my fellow-being…"
"There is no provision that all those able and willing to work will always be in a position to find employment; an “ar…"
"Technological progress frequently results in more unemployment rather than in an easing of the burden of work for all…"
"Production is carried on for profit, not for use. There is no provision that all those able and willing to work will …"
"Man ska inte buga för dumheten bara för att den är gammal."
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
"Einstein did not consider the concept of 'determinism' to be as fundamental as it is frequently held to be (as he tol…"
"It is true that many mathematicians and physicists do their best work when young. But in Einstein's later work we see…"
"The man who was best known for his legendary struggle with the most inaccessible and recondite theories... was—and to…"